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19 Apr 2019

There are several matters that are on my mind following recent reports in the local newspapers.

After seeing a report about a “fake police station” and the ‘prisoners’ therein, my thoughts went to the healthy (or unhealthy, depending on your point of view) relationship between the police and Venezuelan/Columbian females, going back decades. One can only guess why raids on brothels require police to wear masks… afraid of being identified as clients by the arrestees? I also noticed that the numerous past reports indicate that it is mainly police officers who have these women as ‘guests’ in their homes.

The ‘Wealth Bill’ is another matter that gives me unease. Despite ‘reassurances’ by the Attorney General, there has never been a law enacted that has never been abused when the potential to do so is there. In other words, the potential for abuse is a certainty of abuse. Every time. Often in creative ways.

The Prime Minister, and indirectly the President, are sitting on their hands with respect to the most important Constitutional issue (arguably) in the entire history of the country since Independence from England. I refer to the matter of the Chief Justice (CJ) who has allegations against him amounting to serious misconduct in office if they are true. There is a duty, both legally and morally, for the Prime Minister to trigger an investigation via section 137 of the Constitution, by referring the matter to the President for an independent tribunal to carry out a proper investigation.

Instead, we have now become the only country in the entire history of the Commonwealth, to be in this position. But oh, how swift was the PNM in making the same type of recommendation against Sat Sharma, a former ‘Indian’ CJ, when there were allegations against him! This surely makes race a factor in the apathy of the Prime Minister.

But let’s put race aside. Can it be that the Prime Minister is afraid of being caught in a sting regarding the issue of cavorting with the CJ? The present CJ acknowledges that he approached the PM to influence the Trinidad & Tobago Housing Development Corporation (HDC), an Agency of the Ministry of Housing & Urban Development, and which the Prime Minster was formerly in charge of under the Manning stewardship. What else would an investigation reveal? That seems to be the million-dollar question.

The pace of murders occurring is accelerating. The ability of the police to detect and solve these is decelerating. And apparently, never the twain shall meet…